When the Darkness Comes
by Poemwriter98
Summary: Cleo insists that Lewis leaves for America, but what will happen to her when he leaves? Will Cleo be able to handle missing him? What will happen if she can't? I do not own.
1. Chapter 1

Warning: Mentions of self harm. If that bothers you in any way, please don't read.

Lewis's POV:

"Lewis, I want you to go to America. Please, Lewis. I love you, but I want you to go-I want you to be able to fulfill your dreams." Cleo whispered.

"Cleo, this is one of my dreams, but you're one too. I don't want to leave you." I replied.

"I know, Lewis. But I want you to go. I'll still be here when you come back. We'll be different people, but I'm still going to be here for you." Cleo said.

"If you really want me to, Cleo, I will." I said.

"I do, Lewis. I'll miss you, but I'll write you, okay?" Cleo asked.

"I'd like that, Cleo." I replied, and wrapped arms around her. Cleo hugged me back, and I pressed my lips against hers. All too soon, we broke apart. I headed for my boat, thinking about how much I would miss Cleo. I looked back at her, and saw her trying to hold back tears.

"Goodbye, Cleo." I whispered.

A year later:

Cleo's POV:

A year had passed since Lewis had left, and a few things had changed. Rikki and Zane had broken up, Bella had started dating a guy named Luke, Rikki and Will were going out, Emma had come back, and so had Ash. Everyone was happy. Well, maybe not Zane, but he was busted kissing another girl by Rikki, so he got what he deserved.

"Cleo, it's time for school!" My Dad called up the staircase.

"I'm coming, Dad!" I yelled back. I finished adjusting my hair, checked to make sure my sleeves were pulled down and that my makeup was properly applied. Reassured that I looked normal and happy, I grabbed my bag and ran downstairs.

"Bye, Dad! Love you!" I called, quickly exiting my house. I walked quickly to school, not wanting to be late. School was uneventful, just taking notes and doing class work and listening to the teachers. After what felt like years, the school day was finally over. I saw Bella, Rikki and Emma, but before they saw me, I turned a corner to avoid them, and practically ran home. When I got there, my phone started to ring with the tone that was reserved for Lewis.

"Lewis, hey, how are you?" I asked.

"I'm good. How are you, Cleo?" Lewis replied.

"I'm...alright." I replied, wanting to tell him everything, but not wanting to ruin his time in America by having him feel like he needs to come home.

"What's wrong, Cleo?" Lewis asked, his voice full of concern.

"Nothing's wrong, Lewis. It was just a long day at school. How's the program going?" I inquired.

"It's great! We get to observe plankton and see the sea life they have over here." Lewis said, his voice full of excitement.

"I'm glad you're having fun, Lewis. That sounds really exciting." I replied.

"How's everyone doing?" Lewis asked.

"They're good. We miss you, of course. I miss you. But I'm really glad you're having fun." I answered.

"I miss you too, Cleo. Only two more years, and I'll be back. I promise." Lewis said.

"Want to Skype later on?" I asked.

"Sure. How about 4:30 your time?" Lewis asked.

"That works for me. See you then, Lewis." I replied, dropping my phone onto my bed, assuming he'd hang up. I curled up, and started to cry.

"Lewis, I miss you so much. I wish you were here. Or I was there." I sobbed.

"Cleo?" Lewis's voice said. I glanced down at my phone, and saw that he had never hung up.

"Lewis? Why didn't you hang up?" I asked.

"I wanted to tell you that I miss you. And that I love you. Are you ready to Skype now?" Lewis asked.

"Sure. Let me open Skype." I replied.

"Alright." Lewis said. I went over to my computer, opened Skype up, and clicked on Lewis's name. His face popped up on the screen a moment later, and we hung up our phones.

"Are you okay, Cleo?" Lewis asked, looking concerned.

"I'm okay, Lewis. Just tired." I replied.

"Cleo, please be honest with me. I heard you crying. I heard what you said." Lewis whispered.

"You weren't supposed to, Lewis. I'm just really stressed out. It feels as if everyone else has someone right next to them, and I'm alone. But that's my fault. Not yours. I forced you to leave, Lewis. And I'd do it all over again if I had to-you deserve this opportunity." I said.

"Cleo...it's not as fun as I said it is. I didn't want you to feel bad, but the other people here are really mean." Lewis whispered.

"Mean how?" I inquired.

"They make fun of me a lot, saying I'll never have a girlfriend." Lewis muttered.

"WHAT?" I semi-yelled, completely furious at the idea of the other teenagers making fun of Lewis.

"It's okay, though. I just think about you and remind myself they don't know anything." Lewis said, smiling.

"I love you, Lewis." I said, touching my fingers to the screen.

"I love you too, Cleo." Lewis replied.

"It must be getting late over there. What time is it?" I asked.

"It's only 11pm." Lewis answered.

"Only 11?" I said.

"We don't really have a lights out time. We just have to be up when it's time to be up tomorrow." Lewis explained.

"And what time is that?" I inquired.

"Tomorrow, it's 9." Lewis answered.

"Hm. Well, if you want to continue to talk, I'm willing to." I said.

"What are you doing in school?" Lewis asked.

"Learning about marine life, in science. Tell me more about what you're doing." I replied.

"Cataloging where certain types of marine life are found, observing what types of plankton are found in different areas, and noting the temperatures in those areas." Lewis said, and then yawned.

"I guess that's my cue to let you get some rest." I said, smiling at him.

"I am pretty tired. I'll call you after school tomorrow, okay?" Lewis asked:

"Fine with me." I replied.

"I love you, Cleo." Lewis said.

"I love you too, Lewis." I replied, blowing him a kiss. He caught it, and then blew me one. I caught it, and then we disconnected from Skype. I love seeing Lewis over Skype every day, but seeing him hurts as well. I walked over to my bed, and lifted up the corner of my mattress. I reached under and pulled out a small pocket knife. I sat down against the bed, and opened the pocket knife. I dragged it slowly against my arm, careful not to cut too deep. I didn't want to die; I just wanted release from everything I was feeling. From missing Lewis, to how alone I felt when my friends had their boyfriends around. My phone rang with Lewis's ringtone again, and I picked it up.

"What's up, Lewis?" I inquired.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay, Cleo. I'm worried about you." Lewis said.

"I'm fine, Lewis." I replied, trying to ignore the sting from my cuts and to keep the pain out of my voice.

"Are you sure? You sound like you're in pain." Lewis said.

"I tripped earlier and cut my arm." I lied, not wanting him to know I had done it myself.

"Okay. Well, don't forget to wash it off." Lewis answered.

"I won't forget, Lewis. I promise." I said.

"I love you, Cleo. Take care of yourself." Lewis said.

"I love you too, Lewis. I will. Take care of yourself so you can come back to me safely." I whispered.

"I will, Cleo. I promise. Love you." Lewis said.

"Love you too." I said, and waited for him to hang up. After he did, I leaned my head against my knees, wondering how everything had gotten so out of hand. I could barely go an entire day without cutting. What would Lewis say if he saw what I'd done to myself? Would he hate me? Would he yell at me?

"Cleo, are you in here?" Emma's voice said.

"Yeah, one minute." I said, standing up, and making sure my arm was covered.

"Come in." I called.

"Are you alright, Cleo? Lewis texted me earlier and said he was worried about you." Emma said.

"I'm fine, Emma. Just tired. I've been studying a lot." I said.

"Alright, Cleo. If you ever need anything, Rikki, Bella and I are here for you." Emma said.

"Thanks, Emma. That means a lot." I replied.

"See you later, Cleo." Emma said, leaving my room.

"See you later, Emma." I said. I quickly changed into my pajamas, and then collapsed under my covers, falling quickly into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

I know this is a super short chapter, but I'm going to update with a longer one soon. I don't own H2O: Just Add Water, but I do own this idea.

Lewis's POV:

The change in Cleo was astonishing-and disturbing, to say the least. She looked so thin, and sad. She used to be so happy all the time. Except for all the business with Charlotte, and when I didn't tell her about the scholarship, Cleo was very rarely seen without a smile. But here she was, looking almost completely broken, and as if she was unable to believe that I'm here.

"Cleo, I'm sorry I frightened you." I said, kneeling in front of her.

"It's alright, Lewis. It's just….I can't believe you're actually here." Cleo said, getting on her knees and wrapping her arms around me. I hugged her back, her head on my shoulder. She began to cry, her tears dripping onto my neck while her body shook with sobs.

"It's alright, Cleo. I'm sorry that I didn't realize how upset you were earlier." I whispered when her sobs had quieted.

"It's alright, Lewis. I just….was having trouble dealing. I didn't want you to know, Lewis. If I had, then you'd have known." Cleo replied.

"I know. I just…I've really missed you." I said.

"I've missed you too. I'm glad you're here, Lewis." Cleo said, leaning her head against my shoulder. I pressed my lips to hers, and she kissed me back.


	3. Chapter 3

I know that it's been a while since I've updated, but I have been super busy with school-finals and all that. I hope you enjoy it! I don't own anything, unfortunately. Also, possible trigger in the beginning of the chapter.

Cleo's POV:

I couldn't believe that Lewis had given up on the science program and come back. I was feeling divided-part of me was ecstatic that Lewis was back, but part of me was worried that he was back. What if he found out that I'd been hurting myself while he was gone?

"Cleo, are you alright?" Lewis's voice broke through my reverie.

"Hm? Yes, I'm fine. Sorry about that, I was just thinking about how glad I am that you're back." I said, smiling at him.

"It's great to see you, Cleo. I've really missed you." Lewis whispered.

"It's great to see you too, Lewis." I said, taking his hand in mine. Lewis put his hand on my wrist, and I flinched slightly at the fabric of my shirt rubbing against my cut.

"Are you okay, Cleo? I'm sorry, I forgot you tripped and cut yourself." Lewis said, hastily taking his hand off my arm.

"It's fine, Lewis. I'm fine. I'm just glad you're back." I said, hugging Lewis.

"I'm glad, too, Cleo." Lewis replied, hugging me back. I leaned my head against Lewis's shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. We sat that way for a while, and I felt myself drifting off to sleep. I tried to jerk myself awake, but just felt myself slip deeper into sleep.

Lewis's POV:

One minute, Cleo and I were talking, and the next, she'd fallen asleep.

"Cleo?" I whispered. She stirred slightly, but didn't wake up. I moved to pick Cleo up, so I could put her in bed. When I picked her up, I laid her gently down on her bed, and covered her with her blanket. Cleo smiled slightly in her sleep, and I bent down and pressed a kiss to Cleo's forehead, and then left her room. I went downstairs, to see Emma and Rikki in Cleo's living room.

"How is she, Lewis? Is she okay?" Emma asked, standing up from the couch.

"She's fine. She fell asleep while we were talking, so I put her in bed." I replied.

"Thank goodness. She's been acting so _odd_ lately-we were really worried." Emma said.

"She said she was just lonely, having trouble dealing with me being gone and you two having boyfriends, she felt alone." I explained.

"Oh, man. How did we not notice?" Rikki asked, smacking her hand against her forehead.

"I don't think she wanted you two to notice, actually. I think-knowing Cleo-that she would have done her best to hide it from you guys." I replied.

"That makes sense. Remember when Cleo was being harassed? She didn't say anything, until it became too much for her to handle." Emma said.

"That's true." Rikki replied, nodding. I felt guilty, knowing that Cleo being harassed was my fault-my fault because I was with Charlotte, because she was feeling jealous of Cleo and my friendship.

"Why do you think Cleo stopped going swimming with you guys?" I inquired.

"Maybe she felt that being a mermaid and going swimming with us was something enjoyable, and she felt that she didn't deserve to be enjoying herself?" Emma answered.

"Maybe." Rikki said. Soon afterwards, Rikki and Emma went to their houses, and I went to mine.


End file.
